Dr. Zena Werb received her B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of Toronto, and her Ph.D. in Cell Biology from Rockefeller University. She did postdoctoral studies at the Strangeways Research Laboratory in Cambridge, England. Then she was recruited to the University of California, San Francisco. She is Professor and Vice-Chair of Anatomy and Associate Director for Basic Science, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Werb is recognized internationally for fundamental mechanistic discoveries about the role of matrix metalloproteinases, the cellular microenvironment and intercellular communication in normal and pathological tissues. Her honors include election to the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.